Strife Between Storms
by AuthorJ
Summary: OneShot fic with spoilers to MMZ3. After aiding Zero in the final battle against Omega, the Guardians are on the run from Weil, and Leviathan recalls the fonder days before the madman's reign.


**Strife Between Storms **

RMZ Zero: Interesting title you chose...

Author: Eh, whatever works.

Ciel: So, what're the details on this?

Author: Basically, this is my take on why the Guardians didn't show up in Zero 4. My friend Urutapu brought up somethin' about how he thought they'd died, and although I found out later that this wasn't the case, the idea was stuck in my head. Soooo I'm gonna be givin' my own take on this.

Ciel: I see. So, what are we going to be doing in it?

Author: Nothing significant.

Zero and Ciel: #Stupefied looks# Say what...?

Author: You two don't have any really big role in this story.

Zero: But it's MY series.

Author: But not YOUR fic. Cram it and read, thong-boy.

Zero: For the thousandth time, IT'S NOT A THONG.

* * *

'_I can't believe it's come down to this...' _

Fairy Leviathan laid still within a mostly collapsed home, her back pressed against a wall, gazing silently up at the evening sky through a hole in the wrecked roof, tinted with a crimson shade as a result of the fires burning outside amongst the rubble of Area Z-3079, the residential district destroyed by Weil as a result of one of his mad attempts to apprehend the Dark Elf. It was the only place that she could hide, having been cast from the ranks of a Neo-Arcadian guardian and classified as a Maverick. For standing up against Weil's maniacal rule and lending their strength to Zero, the legendary Maverick Hunter, a Reploid who she had thought to be her sworn enemy for his defiance against their master, Copy X.

She was exhausted. It had been not even a week since Omega, rather, Zero's original body, had been destroyed, and the Dark Elf had been purified to once more become the Mother Elf, but she was already feeling the effects of her fight to stay alive. The blue top of her suit was missing, shredded in battle, revealing a torn white body suit beneath. A gash ran down her left arm from the shoulder to the wrist, the result of an attack from one of the Crawler Pantheons and their claws. Parts of her synthetic flesh, dead circuitry and the inner metallic skeleton were visible. The arm was useless. Her helmet was cracked in various places, with only a few pieces missing from the overall headgear in itself. As for energy, the very reason she was sitting back was to allow her auto-recovery systems to function, slowly restoring her energy reserves. It was the best she could do. She could only muster a weak chuckle as she recollected her memories prior to all of this, from the very moment she heard of the so-called Legendary Hero's resurrection.

* * *

"_The Legendary Hero, huh?", scoffed Leviathan as she stood outside of the main hall where Master X resided. She perked an eyebrow to Harpuia, her comrade, one hand resting upon her hip as the other dangled off at her side. "And you're telling me he's joined up with the resistance?"_

"_That's what our information tells us. Phantom has already encountered him in the factory we attempted to destroy. Not to mention the fact that he's already destroyed a number of our subordinates... What I don't understand ourselves and Master X..." Harpuia shut his eyes and crossed his arms, a soft sigh passing by his lips. "This could prove to be troublesome for us, Leviathan. Whether or not you do believe he's the Hero he's made out to be, be careful. If he could take on Phantom and emerge the victor, he definitely has skill that we shouldn't take lightly."_

_Leviathan smirked, shaking her head as she walked off past Harpuia. "I believe you on what he is... our intelligence hardly ever fails us. But you don't need to worry, he won't get the best of me."

* * *

_

_Fefnir stood next to Leviathan's bed in the maintenance room, a bit of a smirk on his face as he watched her while her own personal mechanics worked upon servicing her beaten body. "So, what'd you think? A real rush, wasn't it?"_

_The blue-clad guardian turned her head away, a frustrated expression upon her face. "... He's powerful, I'll give him that... but the next time, things will be different."_

_Fefnir could only laugh, his arms crossed firmly over his chest, his feet spread wide apart on the ground. "Get in line, Leviathan! Harpuia just came in and he's in no better condition than you are. Don't worry, we'll all get our turn beating the Hero around. Just you wait."_

_Leviathan lifted her good arm off the bed, staring at her empty palm for a moment before tightly balling it up into a quivering fist. "... Count on it."

* * *

_

"I still can't believe that he beat us all so many times..."

"Reminiscing on the good times, are we?"

The marine Reploid's head sharply turned, her gaze falling upon a horribly beaten Harpuia. His armor was cracked and missing in various places and his helmet was shattered, revealing the short, white-blonde hair only a few strictly within Neo Arcadian ranks had seen. His most recent wound was one that Leviathan had not even seen, no doubt as a result of his recent scouting for a place to run to. His left arm was missing, leaving buzzing circuitry and steel to make up a stump. This brought Leviathan to her feet, walking hastily to her comrade's side. "Harpuia, your arm...!"

"It's nothing I haven't dealt with before, you know that... Fefnir would laugh if he saw you getting so strung up over something like this."

Leviathan lowered her sapphire eyes towards the ground as the mention of Fefnir's name, the red Guardian who had been retired just earlier that same day by a Golem. "... yeah... he would, huh...?" She sighed and returned to her spot, once more sitting and resting against the wall, taking another look at the sky. Apparently a lot of time had passed since she'd lost herself in her memories. Any hint of sunlight was gone, now replaced by the Moon and stars in the sky. She stared in silence for a moment before tearing her gaze away and looking to Harpuia. "So, any luck...?"

The Guardian shook his head, a morbidly serious expression upon his face. "No. There are scouting units scattered in every place I looked. The only remote chance we'd have of getting out would be by fighting through the weakest line of defense, and hoping that we could get away if we won..."

"So what you're saying is, it's over..."

Harpuia nodded solemnly before turning his gaze away, peering out one of the many holes in the wall of the fallen home. "If you want to be blunt about it, yes. At this point, it would be a miracle in itself if we even made it to the outer perimeter of the district, much less out of Neo Arcadia..."

"I figured about as much..." The female Reploid could only sigh, turning her gaze to a pile of debris in which the remains of a plush toy lay scorched and torn. Every time she gazed at that, she felt a knot of disgust grow in the pit of her stomach.

* * *

"_He WHAT!", thundered Fairy Leviathan, standing nose to nose with a wide-eyed Harpuia._

_Harpuia stepped back, clearing his throat as he regained his composure, donning his serious expression once more. "He demoted us, Leviathan. He's giving all control of the Neo Arcadian military to Weil. You'd do best to calm yourself down, being so hot-headed about it will only cause us problems."_

_"I don't care about that! We can still serve Master X even if we aren't in command of the military anymore! But giving it over to that, that, that LUNATIC! Has Master X already forgotten about all the lives he destroyed before he was exiled!"_

_Harpuia shut his eyes and turned his back to his comrade, his head low, his hands balled into fists at his sides. "Whatever it is, it's not our place to question Master X's judgment... All that we can really do is wait for order now."_

_Leviathan hissed as she heard this, turning her head away and gazing at the floor, her body quivering from the slowly building anger. As she stated, she could cope with being demoted so long as she was still in Master X's service. But to have their positions filled by Weil of all people, it baffled her. She simply could not understand what he was thinking. _'Why, Master X...? What have we ever done but serve you with everything that we had? What is it that would make you choose Weil in our stead...?'

"_HARPUIA, LEVIATHAN!"_

_The marine and air Reploids turned to their comrade, Fefnir, who was charging down the hall at top speed before coming to a screeching halt before them, panting heavily. He pointed back in the direction from whence he came, a furious, and at the same time stunned expression upon his face. "Weil's launching a missile at Area Z-3079! He's going to try and capture the Dark Elf with it!"_

_Leviathan's eyes widened as she heard this, staring in disbelief at the red Reploid. "What! But that's a human residential district! Does Master X know about this!"_

_"Know about it! He personally AUTHORIZED it! He's letting that jar-headed nut job run the show!"_

_Leviathan growled viciously, a feeling of disgust working it's way into her gut. _'What justification is there for this! Our job is to save humans from the Mavericks, not slaughter hundreds of them in one fell swoop!'

_"... that's it... I can't stand by anymore..."_

_Both Fefnir and Leviathan's heads turned to Harpuia, who's entire body was shaking violently. As he turned in the direction that Fefnir had come from, both took notice of a face that they had never seen on him before. A look of disgust and rage that actually shook them to their cores._

_Harpuia raised a fist up level with his chest, staring at it silently for a moment before he turned and looked towards his fellow guardians. "I want both of you to stay here. Don't do anything that would draw attention to yourselves, do not question Master X, and try to avoid any contact with Weil."_

_Fefnir narrowed his eyes, staring at his long time partner and friend. "Harpuia, you aren't going to do what I think...?"_

_"... don't worry about me. Just keep an eye out for Master X. Something stinks about all of this... See you guys later..." Without another word, he lifted off his feet and into the air, flying down the hall at an incredible speed, vanishing from sight in mere seconds._

_Leviathan turned an interrogative gaze towards the red guardian. "He's not going to...?"_

_"... yeah... he's going after the missile..."

* * *

_

Leviathan was broken from her thoughts as the sounds of sirens wailed into the night. She came to her feet swiftly, grasping the spear that had been lying at her side with her good arm. She gazed up at the worn down ceiling, her eyes locking upon an Alarmer Pantheon. "Damn! We've been spotted!"

Harpuia wasted no time as he locked his eyes upon it, igniting one of his beam sabers on his remaining arm and slashing at the air, firing a thin beam of red energy that cleaved the Alarmer in half before it exploded. He turned his gaze to the female Reploid, gripping the saber more firmly. "We can't stay here any longer, let's go!"

Without wasting another second, the two dashed out of the building and into the ruined streets. They could already hear the sounds of grinding gears, steel crashing down onto the pavement and rubble, and footsteps from behind them echoing through the dead district. Sirens from various other Alarmers were beginning to sound all over as they turned on streets randomly, simply picking whatever seemed to have the least signs of Neo Arcadian activity.

Leviathan glanced over her shoulder, her eyes widening at what was chasing them. "Harpuia, we've got a Golem on our tail!"

Harpuia gazed over his shoulder briefly before gazing forward again. "Damn, Weil's pulling out all the stops...!"

"Yeah, it's a real pity that they took out your flight generator, wouldn't you say!"

Harpuia gazed seriously over to her at this remark. "It wouldn't have been of much use to us anyways. They shot me down when I was up on my own in almost no time, if I were carrying you, I would have been brought down even faster."

Leviathan nodded in response, turning another corner with him. "Good point. I guess running really would be the best way to go about it no matter what way we look at it!" In mere seconds after she spoke, her eyes widened at the sound of something cutting through the air. She turned to look over her shoulder, only to see another Golem about 500 yards off firing a laser beam at them. "HIT THE DECK!", she screamed as she dove forward, tucking and rolling as the beam shot over her, almost immediately after followed by an explosion from behind. She raised her head slowly and looked behind her, taking note of the Golem, now inflicted with a massive gash through it's head, the metal and circuitry still glowing white hot. She knew that only Harpuia's Beam Slash could create that kind of a scar. It soon after toppled over and crashed through the wall of one of the ruined buildings before exploding, totally vaporizing it's body.

She turned her gaze to Harpuia, half-expecting him to tell her to get up and move. Instead, she found herself gasping sharply at the sight before her. Harpuia stood frozen, his eyes wide open as he stared at the starry sky. A massive hole pierced through his chest, giving view to the road ahead of them. "HARPUIA!" She wasted no time, scrambling to her feet and rushing forward, catching him just before he fell forward, kneeling down with him in her arms. "H-Harpuia...! Oh God, I, I'm so..."

"You... wouldn't have stopped it anyways..."

Leviathan's eyes widened further at his words, a bit surprised that he'd actually called her on her thoughts again. "B, but..."

"You know... just as well as I do that it... would've pierced us both... now get out of here, try... try and escape..." He cringed in pain as a violent jolt of electricity from the severed circuitry around the edges of the hole shot through him, sparking violently at the wound.

"B, but, Harpuia...! I can't just leave you here, we're a team!"

"Wh, which is why I'm watching out for you... I... I'll just slow you down... a, and I'd die before we got to any... place that I could be repaired... just get out of here! NOW!"

Leviathan knew that tone after working with him for so long. There was no arguing at this point. And even though she knew what he said was true, but she didn't want to leave her last living comrade to die. She gazed at him silently for a few more seconds before nodding solemnly, forcing back the tears trying to escape past her eyes as she laid him gently upon the ground. "... I'm sorry, Harpuia..." She rose to her feet, staring silently for just a few seconds longer before taking off. As she ran, she found she couldn't restrain them anymore, and simply let the tears flow.

* * *

_"So, you're the new guardian?", Fefnir spoke arrogantly, gazing over Leviathan with a smirk. He leaned in towards her, chuckling softly. "Come on, shouldn't you be managing the transports or something? You don't look at all suited for combat."_

_Leviathan could only grin before swiftly reaching over her shoulder, grasping her spear in hand, and in a single fluid motion, swinging it forward to bring the edge of it's blade to stop just off of the tip of Fefnir's nose. "Don't underestimate me because I'm a woman. I could easily wipe the floor with you if I wanted to. My name is Fairy Leviathan, and I'm the General of the Army of Dark Oceans. Don't forget it."_

_Fefnir could only stand there, shocked that she'd drawn her weapon on him with such precision and swiftness. He stood up, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he broke out in an obnoxious laughter that drew the gazes of his comrades. He calmed down quickly, nodding to her, still wearing the same grin. "I'll be sure not to make that mistake again. Name's Fighting Fefnir, General of the Army of Ash Flames. Maybe sometime we could get down and dirty with a good brawl, eh?"_

_"Show some class for a change, Fefnir...", muttered Phantom from a table, reading over some odd-looking scrolls._

_"Stuff it, Phantom! It's none of your business who I wanna fight!"_

_The shinobi Reploid could only grin as he rose from his seat, turning to face Leviathan with a soft nod, totally disregarding his fellow guardian. "My name is Phantom, the General of the Shadow-Slashing Army. Welcome into our ranks, Leviathan."_

_Leviathan responded with a nod of her own, reaching over her back and setting her spear in a clamp-like holder on her back with a small click of the device. "It's a pleasure. So, there are supposed to be four of us, right? Where---" She was abruptly interrupted by the sound of a siren and flashing red lights. She gazed up, a serious expression now donning her face._

_"It seems the time for formalities has passed. Let's go!" Phantom wasted no time, charging out the door from which Leviathan had entered not a couple moments ago._

_"Alright! I've been itching for something to do today!" Fefnir grinned to Leviathan, waving his arm in a 'come-hither' motion as he started off after his partner. "Time to break you in, new girl!"_

_Leviathan couldn't help but be a little irked by being called 'new girl'. She stood there, fuming for just a second before she felt a hand rest on her shoulder._

_"Don't just stand there, Leviathan. We have a job to do as the Guardians." A green Reploid walked right past her in a calm manner, stopping at the door before looking over his shoulder to her with a set of piercing eyes. "Let's go."_

_Leviathan stood somewhat dumbfounded for a moment before nodding in compliance, taking to a quick jog after him. "Fine, I guess this really isn't the time to be standing around... So you're the fourth Guardian?"_

_"Yes."_

_"What's your name?"_

_"Sage Harpuia, General of the Army of the Fierce Sky. I've already been informed about you, so don't worry about introductions. Business comes first."_

_Leviathan smirked softly, picking up her pace to match his own as he lifted off the ground just slightly. "Fine by me..."

* * *

_

Leviathan panted heavily as she leaned against a wall on her side, peering around a corner, catching sight of a small group of perhaps eight Hunter Pantheons, each sporting just a Buster. She cussed softly beneath her breath, tightening her grip on her spear. _'Any other time this wouldn't be a problem, but I can't afford to be spotted...'_ She stepped back, her eyes widening as she felt something blunt up against her back, hearing the familiar hum of beam energy just behind her.

"Don't move."

She stood totally still, her eyes narrowing seriously as she further tightened her grip upon her spear. "At least it's nice to know you're not one of those mindless Pantheons. It'd be a real downer to be snuck up on by one of those weaklings."

"Considering the condition that your body looks to be in, I'd say that it was very likely it could have happened."

"Don't take me so lightly. I was a General once, you know..."

"Maybe so, but I'm the one holding the weapon to your back right now..."

Leviathan stood silently for a moment before looking up at the sky with a light grin. "Hmph... then you should have pulled the trigger when you had the chance." She quickly spun around and ducked, barely evading a beam blast that created a massive explosion farther off. Wasting no time to even look at her adversary, she reached up with her spear and swung, mistakenly driving the flat side into his face. The only real benefit of this was that it knocked her mysterious would-be captor down, giving her the time she needed to turn the corner and flee into the already charging Pantheons.

The Reploid growled, standing up swiftly as he pressed a button on his helmet, activating a communicator as he gave chase. "Commander Kraft reporting. Target Fairy Leviathan has been encountered, and is meeting apprehension with resistance. All members of the Einherjar, merge on my coordinates and pursue due South towards barricade #08, that is all."

Leviathan, by this point, had already turned into an alleyway. The Pantheons proved to be little trouble, just as she had thought, and were easily dealt with. Her primary concern was the Reploid chasing after her. His Beam weapon, judging by the sound and shockwave generated by the explosion, was more than enough to deal with her in her current state. She turned out of the alleyway back onto the main streets, only to feel something splash down onto her, knocking her forwards onto the ground. She tried to stand, but found herself stuck fast, despite her struggles to free herself. _'Wh, what the...!'_ Before she could even make a complete thought, she heard something land in front of her with a dull 'clunk'. She looked up, her eyes widening. It was a bomb. She tried further to struggle free, but only seconds after recognizing what it was, it erupted into flames in her face, sending her flying back and crashing back first into a wall. As she slid down the wall into a sitting position, she panted heavily, desperately trying to catch the breath that the blast and impact knocked out of her. She was in horrible condition now, and couldn't even find it within her strength to get up, much less run away.

"Well, that was fast. Some 'Guardian' she turned out to be."

"Kya! Just like those other two losers!"

The heavily damaged marine Reploid raised her gaze, her eyes widening at the sight before her. Eight Reploids, swarming around her, muttering amongst themselves of her weakness. It took her a moment to collect herself before she instinctively reached for her spear, only to find it out of her reach. She gazed past them to where she had been trapped, her gaze locking upon her weapon. _'Damn...! I can't fight back...!'_

"Commander Kraft, requesting permission to eliminate the Maverick!"

"Denied.", replied a voice from behind the group.

The group stepped back to create an opening, each one giving their head officer a different look as he passed through the gap between them, their expressions ranging from confused, to stunned, to appalled, to frustrated.

"Kakya! Why not! Aren't we supposed to execute her, Commander!"

"Please, Commander, can't we just burn her up a little bit?"

"Roar! Co... Command-der..."

"All of you, be quiet."

The gazes of the other seven Reploids turned to the Squid-like one standing at the far edge of the group, looking upon Leviathan with a totally neutral expression. "Commander Kraft never said she would not be executed..."

"... I only stated that you would not be the ones to do it." The General drew his Beam Cannon from it's holster on his back and pointed it at Leviathan, gazing at her with a ruthless intent.

Leviathan couldn't help but smirk weakly as she used what little strength she had recovered in the brief amount of time to pull herself to her feet. Even standing, was a task though, as her legs quaked beneath her violently, threatening to give out at any second. She reached back and leaned up against the wall, looking tiredly at his weapon. "Hm... I should have killed you when I had the chance..."

"A fatal mistake on your part, Fairy Leviathan... By the orders of Lord Weil, you are to be terminated. Do you have any last words?"

Leviathan chuckled softly as she heard this, lowering her head and shutting her eyes. "... no... nothing really."

"Very well then..." He stared sternly at her as his cannon charged, preparing to fire the final shot. Just as it reached the peak of it's power, where he could blow her away without leaving so much as a trace of her corpse, the communicator in his helmet sounded in his ear. He sighed softly, lowering the weapon and shutting his eyes, opening the link. "Kraft here, what is it?"

Silence and tension, that was all there was hovering about in the air around the ten Reploids. Finally, the silence was broken.

"Damn it..." Kraft wasted no time in returning his Beam Cannon to it's holster, turning to face the group behind him. "We're leaving, now!"

"Kya! Commander, what's the meaning of this!", erupted the smallest of them, gazing at his leader with a look of bewilderment.

"A Maverick has taken some hostages within in a desperation attempt to save itself, and we're being called in to deal with it. Included are the operators that manage our transport units, so we're going to have to go by foot."

"But Commander, what about the traitor? We can't just let her go, either."

"I'm aware of this. That is why you, Sol Titanion, are staying behind to execute her in whatever manner you see fit. Once you're done, just return to the base, we'll probably have dealt with the situation by then. Now, the rest of you, let's go." Without another word, Kraft charged off down the street, followed by the several Reploids he designated to come with him. Despite his outer intentions of simply following Weil's commands, he had another objective set in mind. He kept his sights fixed straight ahead, moving as quickly as he possibly could._ 'Neige, what have you gotten yourself into this time...?'_

Sol Titanion watched as her comrades exited from view, chuckling softly as she turned her gaze to her prey. "So... I've been left to deal with you. Let's heat things up a little, shall we?"

Before Leviathan could even react, she felt flames collide with her side, badly scorching her good arm and knocking her over as she screamed out in agony. The marine Reploid could only hiss in pain as she lay there, her eyes shut tightly.

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That's wonderful! Your screams are just music to my ears! It really lights my fire!" Once more, she launched flames at the already grounded Reploid, a more concentrated burst this time that erupted over her entire body, sending searing pain through every circuit of her adversary, taking in her tormented cries and observing her tortured movements.

It continued like this for what seemed to be ages. One attack after the other, never killing, just sadistically torturing Leviathan. From a few blasts of the bombs that had earlier dealt her such a crippling blow, her helmet shattered, revealing ocean blue hair that cascaded down to her lower back. Her arms and legs were damaged beyond repair, incapable of supporting her weight anymore. She was on the brink of death, and allowed to go no further.

At least it was so until the sounds of Leviathan's screams and her tormented gestures had ceased. The marine Reploid, after all of the abuse, had eventually started taking it without so much as flinching, simply lying there, being tossed around like a rag doll.

Sol Titanion was now fed up with this. "Damn it... I can't enjoy myself unless you're really suffering, you know! This is just so boring! Scream, try and run away, do SOMETHING!" She sighed heavily, placing her hands on her hips as she glanced around, her eyes coming to rest upon a massive steel wall, a devilish look appearing upon her face after a couple seconds of contemplation. "Hm... come here, you..." She knelt down and grasped Leviathan by the roots of the hair on her skull, dragging her along the ground as she made her way towards the wall. She lifted the other Reploid single-handedly, while the other worked on heating the steel beyond white hot. As soon as it showed signs of melting to a liquid form, she brutally drove the Guardian into it back first, making sure to entrap her arms and legs, as some of it encased her cheeks and ran partway down her forehead before fully solidifying. This only brought a hiss of pain from the horribly battered female as she stared blankly at her tormentor.

"KYAHAHAHAHA! There, you look magnificent! Although it wasn't quite the response I was hoping for, I suppose I can just let you die like this now. You won't live much longer anyways... so long, traitor!" With that, the golden Reploid left, returning to base as her Commander had ordered her to.

Leviathan simply hung there in silence, gazing blankly at the rubble scattered across the ground below her feet. Although she would not show it on her outer body, her entire form was wracked with pain. Simply breathing fired sharp bolts of pain through every corner of her body. She knew what was happening. She was dying. Soon, she would join her comrades and her Master in the afterlife, if there was one for Reploids. Finally, after a few moments of silence, she found her voice, speaking softly to herself. "... I... I guess... that this is where it ends... we had some good times... didn't we guys...?"

* * *

_"You were a WHAT!", Fefnir erupted before letting loose with a roaring laughter, falling out of his seat and onto the floor, pointing directly at his feminine comrade._

_"Sh-shut up!" Leviathan shot up from her seat, slamming her hands down on the table, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "You look like a total idiot down there anyways, Fefnir, so why don't you stop laughing like an ass and get back into your seat!"_

_"Hehehe, a, alright, alright...!" Fefnir still chuckled as he pulled himself into his seat, resting his elbows on the table as he looked to Leviathan with a grin. "Seriously though, a Water Purifier Reploid? THAT'S what you were before you were modified to become a Guardian?"_

_"I fail to see exactly what's so funny about it, Fefnir...", muttered Phantom as he gazed tiredly at his comrade._

_"Bah, you've just got no sense of humor. You're always off in your own little world or doin' something."_

_"Fefnir, you were the ONLY one who thought that was funny out of all of us...", shot back Harpuia, looking at him with a dull expression._

_"Tch, that just means you guys can't appreciate good humor..." Fefnir leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms behind his head with a grin. "At least she was in her element..."_

_"Oh? And what were YOU before you became a Guardian, eh, Fefnir?" Leviathan narrowed her eyes towards the red Reploid, staring him dead in the face._

_"Th-that's none of your business..." He turned his head away, staring at a wall, at least before he felt a hand press swiftly on his chest and topple him out of his seat again. The other three Guardians chuckled as they watched Fefnir lay there with a totally dumbfounded expression upon his face._

_Leviathan leaned over the table, grinning down at the battle-loving Reploid. "You know, the funniest thing is, it ACTUALLY looks like you belong down there on the floor."_

_"Aw, shut up. Which one of you did that, anyways!" He stood up and set his seat upright, looking between the three. His gaze came to rest upon Phantom, who had an unusually satisfied expression upon his face. "It was YOU, wasn't it!"_

_Phantom chuckled softly, merely shrugging his shoulders. "I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about..."_

_"Why you little...!" He didn't even attempt to make a move on his fellow Guardian, he simply fumed as he started. Leviathan smirked, looking towards Harpuia. "So, what WAS his job...?"_

_"HARPUIA, DON'T YOU DARE!"_

_"He was originally supposed to clean up the land after the Eurasia crash..." Harpuia spoke with a slight smirk, glancing at his now speechless partner. "He's not much different from either you or myself, Leviathan."_

_"Oh, yeah, that's right. Yours was to help create a Biosphere, right?"_

_"Yes."_

_Leviathan chuckled softly as she stood and walked around the table, stopping next to Fefnir as she laid a hand on his shoulder in a somewhat mocking manner. "There, see? You fit in with us just fine, you battle-hungry maniac." She raised an eyebrow as a thought crossed her mind, quickly turning her gaze towards Phantom. "Come to think of it, Phantom, what did you do before you were a Guardian?"_

_"Nothing."_

_Leviathan raised an eyebrow as she heard this, removing her hand from Fefnir's shoulder and crossing her arms. "Nothing?"_

_"Nothing. My only true job has been and forever will be to protect and serve Master X." Phantom turned his gaze to Leviathan, the look in his eyes confirming the truth for her. The shinobi Reploid then stood from his seat and started off towards the nearest door in his usual calm fashion. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to with my unit."_

_The three watched in silence until after he left, and even then, they remained quiet for a couple moments more. The silence was finally broken when Leviathan turned to face Harpuia, an unsettled expression upon her face. "Was it what I said...?"_

_The green-clad Guardian merely shook his head, gazing past her to the door that Phantom had exited through. "No. Don't worry about it."_

_"Then, about how he said he did nothing...?"_

_"It could be taken in more ways than one. He could literally mean he did nothing, or perhaps he's just saying that it's not worth talking about. Phantom doesn't go into his past very much, and it's seldom that he'll say anything about it when asked. Even Master X, from what he's told us, knows little of Phantom's life before he became a Guardian."_

_Leviathan crossed her arms as she heard this, wearing a more serious expression at this point. "Is that really wise not to know all about your companions?"_

_Fefnir chuckled a bit, waving one hand dismissively through the air. "Hey, don't worry about it. It may seem iffy, but Phantom's proven time and time again that he'd die in an instant for Master X, just like any of us. You'll see that more for yourself in the future, Leviathan."

* * *

_

_Leviathan sat within her own chambers, staring with a solemn expression at a small, framed image of herself and her three comrades, one of which had recently been dispatched. Phantom was gone, his death the result of a failed last-ditch attack to try and at least hinder Zero from reaching Neo Arcadia's Core, where their Master battled and lost to the 'hero'. It had been two weeks since then, and things had been busy in the wake of these events, not without spite towards the saber-wielding Reploid. She cursed softly under her breath before standing up and turning to exit her room. Just as the door slid open, she came to a halt, gazing upon the body of a familiar green Reploid, her comrade, Harpuia._

_"Leviathan, are you doing alright?"_

_She turned her head away from him, gazing at the floor as she balled her hands up into fists. "I've had better days..."_

_Harpuia sighed softly, turning his gaze down the hall towards one of the four rooms, the room that once belonged to Phantom. He returned his gaze to Leviathan as he began to speak. "I know it's been hard, the loss of both he and Master X has taken a toll on all of us. But now is not the time to let simple thoughts of revenge cloud your mind. We have a lot in store for us, so we need to be ready."_

_"I know that... I know it, but I can't help it... Phantom did die of his own free will, the security recordings have already cleared that up, but Master X was killed by that Maverick! How can I just let go of something like that!"_

_"Leviathan... calm down, now."_

_She knew that tone of his. It wasn't to soothe her, he was giving her a direct, unquestionable order. She sighed heavily, resting her forehead in her palm. "I'm sorry... This is all just so frustrating..."_

_"It is for all of us. But don't worry about it. Zero will be brought to justice in time, and Master X's ideals will not be forgotten so long as I'm around."_

_She scoffed slightly as she heard this, leaning into her door frame as she looked up at him. "Oh? And what are you going to do, stand on a crate and preach on the corner?"_

_Harpuia couldn't help but smirk as he heard this. Her remarks were as biting as ever. "Not quite... The Neo Arcadian Government, in light of all the recent happenings, has appointed me as the current leader of Neo Arcadia."_

_Leviathan's eyes widened as she heard this, lifting herself off the door frame as she located one hand to rest upon her hip. "You're serious...?"_

_"Entirely."_

_Leviathan could only gaze in amazement at her fellow Guardian for a moment before a grin crept across her face. "Hm. Looks like they made a good choice... with you in command, it'll almost be like Master X was never gone, and we'll finally be able to put an end to those fools who are opposing the government."_

_Harpuia nodded softly, shutting his eyes as he turned his back to Leviathan. "Yes... but I'm going to tell you something right now. Don't let your personal feelings on what happened two weeks ago mix with your job. You're still a Guardian, and as a Guardian, it's your duty as well as Fefnir's and my own to oversee that the humans are protected first and foremost..."_

_"Heh, worried that I might do something stupid?"_

_"That's why I came to talk to you to begin with."_

_Her grin grew a little wider as she heard this, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "So I take it you're going to have a chat with Fefnir as well?"_

_Harpuia was silent for a moment before he emitted a heavy sigh, a large amount of reluctance dripping from his words. "I have to. His temper has gotten really short since the entire ordeal, and I'm afraid he might tear down the capital if someone doesn't do something." He started off towards Fefnir's chambers, a bit of a grimace appearing upon his features as soon as he was sure Leviathan could not spot his face._

_The blue-clad Reploid could only smile and wave at her fellow Guardian as he made his way down the hall, speaking just loudly enough for him to hear. "Good luck with that, you're going to need all of it that you can get..."

* * *

_

Leviathan was snapped from her memories as a violent surge of pain wracked her entire body, bringing her to writhe against her steel prison in a futile effort to numb the hellish feeling firing through her body. As it finally receded, she hung forward in what little way she could, her body quivering from the shock. She could already feel it, she was beginning to fade. Her vision began to blur over, and her breathing became much shallower. She had no more strength, leaving only her life to drain away. "I... it's... it's not fair... it... it shouldn't have ended... like this..." She raised her gaze from the ground towards the sky, seeing the first signs of the morning Sun rising over the horizon. Tears began to accumulate at the corners of her eyes before she shut them tightly. "I... I was supposed to beat you, Zero... and... and we were supposed to win... for the humans..."

"_Leviathan..."_

The horribly maimed Guardian rose her gaze at the sound of a familiar voice calling her name, only to find a small orb of light, no bigger than her face, hovering before her.

_"Leviathan... you've done well. Although I have to say, you and your three companions went about it wrong, your intentions, in the end, were pure."_

"Y... you... it... it couldn't be... Master X...?"

_"Yes, and no. The Master that you knew was simply my copy, created by Ciel. I am the original."_

She was totally silent for a moment, staring in wonder, disbelief, and amazement. She was actually speaking with the original X. Suddenly, out of no where, tears began to pour from her eyes and stream down her cheeks. Her body trembled within her prison as she stared at the orb of light. Despite how much she wanted it to stop, she simply couldn't restrain them for some reason beyond her. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to halt the flow, but only succeeding in slowing it. "M... Master X... Harpuia, a... and Fefnir... they were..."

_"I'm aware, Leviathan...", _he said with a gentle sigh. _"Don't worry about it, though. I'm confident that Zero will handle everything..."_

"Zero...? Are you... sure that h, he can handle something... on this scale...?"

X chuckled softly as he heard this, falling silent for a second after before speaking again. _"Yes. Zero has always had a talent for doing things that others couldn't... Perhaps I should explain the rest when we re-unite with the others, though..."_

"Reunite with the others...?", repeated Leviathan with a perplexed gaze. "H, how are we going... to do that? And... and who are 'the others'?"

_"Harpuia, Fefnir and Phantom, of course. Their bodies may have been destroyed, but they have been able to survive in the same manner as myself."_

"... I see... So, I'm the last... t, to join the group again, h-huh...?" She found herself unexpectedly smiling, gazing right at the orb of light that was her true Master. "Alright... let's go..." She let out one final sigh as she felt a strange warmth wash over the entirety of her body. A blue glow began to pulse gently and slowly, but rapidly picking up the pace of it's pulses until it was a single solid light that gathered around her chest. The light exited her body in an orb of roughly the same size as X's, leaving her physical shell limp and silent. From within the sphere, she could clearly see the form of her Master. She glanced down over herself, finding herself to look almost exactly the same, save for a blue, sleeveless, ankle-length coat with yellow trim around the edges, and a yellow X embroidered on her back between her shoulder blades. Sensations in this form were different as well. Everything seemed sharper, her senses more acute than before, even in contrast to when she was at her peak in her body. Of course, she knew that in this state, doing anything of a physical nature was strictly out of the question. After a few moments of taking in the changes, she glanced to the face of her true Master, nodding softly to him as they both started off towards the sky, on course to meet with the other three Guardians. Leviathan took one last glance over her shoulder as she sped off, clenching her fists lightly. _'... Zero... I guess I won't get the chance to beat you in a fight again... Please, just stop Weil in our place...'

* * *

_

Outside of the Resistance Base, a small group of the rebels looked over a transport recently discovered by a reconnaissance team, making preparations to modify it so it would better suit their cause. No doubt that this would be of great aide to them whenever they were required to engage in a mission that required them to move freely about the land. One particular member of the team, Zero, sat on the edge of the transport by a tool box, simply there as an assistant to his human partner, Ciel. His head was low as he waited for her to ask for something, the events of the previous week still fresh in his mind.

"_Please, just stop Weil in our place..."_

Zero's eyes widened, and he swiftly came to his feet as these words echoed into his mind. He stood in total silence, surveying the area around for a moment, looking for the figure that should have matched the familiar voice he heard. He gazed up at the sky after a moment, staring off into it briefly before what seemed to be five orbs of light firing across the sky. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned his head to follow them with his gaze, only to find that they were already gone. He continued staring, now with a much more serious expression. _'... Leviathan...?'_

"Zero! Hey, did you hear me!"

Zero was snapped from his thoughts as he glanced over his shoulder to Ciel, who was currently poking her head out from beneath a control console. "Huh...?"

"I was asking if you could hand me the soldering iron, Zero." She gazed at him with some concern in her eyes as she slid out from beneath it and sat upright on the floor. "Is everything alright?"

"... yeah, everything's fine..." Zero sighed as he knelt down and began sorting through the toolbox for the item in question, all the while, focusing upon the voice of Leviathan. He wasn't sure if he was simply imagining things, or if she had reached out to him in some manner, but her final request would not be one that he would soon forget.

"_Please, just stop Weil in our place..."

* * *

_

Author: #Cracks his neck# Mmmmm, I feel satisfied.

Fefnir: Could you have made it any longer...?

Author: Want to see?

Fefnir: Eh... I'm good, thanks...

Author: #Chuckles softly# Really though, I poured a lot into this, and the end result was really something I was happy with.

X: Where'd you get all this info about the Guardians, anyways...?

Author: Wikipedia, it's an author's best friend when it comes to looking for reference. Well, that and a couple other various sources.

Ciel: You realize that was borderline of a shameless plug, right?

Author: Why, I'm insulted! I prefer to call it, 'creative advertising'.

Zero: Plugging.

Leviathan: Definitely.

Harpuia: Beyond a shadow of a doubt...

Author: AW STUFF IT.


End file.
